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midnightmarauder's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Unfortunates follows Sahara Nwadike, a depressed college sophomore who no longer wants to live. Sahara attends an unnamed PWI that prides itself on diversity and inclusion, yet their black students are constantly dying, disappearing, or both.
There are many characters within the book that are unnamed, besides Sahara herself and Mariah, one of her close friends and also the girl she has a crush on. Everyone else is referred to by a pseudonym, like her best friend, ROD (which stands for Ride Or Die), her parents (only referred to as Mother and Father), and her brothers (aptly called B1, for Brother 1; and B2, for Brother 2), which I thought was interesting.
The book tackles many issues, one of the most prominent being mental illness in black people. Sahara suffers from depression (who she refers to as her "Life Partner", or LP, for short). LP constantly drags her down and convinces her that no one cares about her, and aids in her self-destruction throughout the novel. One of the things Sahara does to cope is drink and self-harm. Both LP and one of Sahara's friends, C1, help enable her addictions.
C1 is basically the human personification of LP. She is negative, self-hating, and a terrible influence on Sahara. She constantly encourages her to drink and do drugs with little regard to how it affects her. Once, as the pair are changing for a party, C1 noticesSahara's self-harm scars , and without asking her why she did what she did or caring about helping her stop, changes the subject back to herself. She was, by far, my least favorite character in the book.
Another issue that was tackled in the book was how black people (and people of color in general) often have a hard time finding community and support at primarily-white institutions. Sahara is one of many students at the university she attends that struggle with mental health issues. There is offered support for the students, but it is not enough and tends to be focused on the needs of white people. One of the people that fight to change the discriminatory practices at the institution is Mariah, who spent a lot of time at the head of different organizations on campus built to uplift and support other black students on campus whose voices were often ignored. Later in the book,it is revealed that she suffers from a health issue that she seeks help for from the university's hospital, but they constantly ignore her. Eventually, the issue is shown to be fibroids and she goes into emergency surgery, only to die from complications later.
Overall, I really loved this book. Sahara and I are very similar; we're both black women who struggle with depression and attended PWIs. I experienced very similar isolation and pain while I was on campus, with little to no support. I wished I had read this book while living on campus in order to be reminded that I wasn't alone and that there were other people out there dealing with the same issues.
There are many characters within the book that are unnamed, besides Sahara herself and Mariah, one of her close friends and also the girl she has a crush on. Everyone else is referred to by a pseudonym, like her best friend, ROD (which stands for Ride Or Die), her parents (only referred to as Mother and Father), and her brothers (aptly called B1, for Brother 1; and B2, for Brother 2), which I thought was interesting.
The book tackles many issues, one of the most prominent being mental illness in black people. Sahara suffers from depression (who she refers to as her "Life Partner", or LP, for short). LP constantly drags her down and convinces her that no one cares about her, and aids in her self-destruction throughout the novel. One of the things Sahara does to cope is drink and self-harm. Both LP and one of Sahara's friends, C1, help enable her addictions.
C1 is basically the human personification of LP. She is negative, self-hating, and a terrible influence on Sahara. She constantly encourages her to drink and do drugs with little regard to how it affects her. Once, as the pair are changing for a party, C1 notices
Another issue that was tackled in the book was how black people (and people of color in general) often have a hard time finding community and support at primarily-white institutions. Sahara is one of many students at the university she attends that struggle with mental health issues. There is offered support for the students, but it is not enough and tends to be focused on the needs of white people. One of the people that fight to change the discriminatory practices at the institution is Mariah, who spent a lot of time at the head of different organizations on campus built to uplift and support other black students on campus whose voices were often ignored. Later in the book,
Overall, I really loved this book. Sahara and I are very similar; we're both black women who struggle with depression and attended PWIs. I experienced very similar isolation and pain while I was on campus, with little to no support. I wished I had read this book while living on campus in order to be reminded that I wasn't alone and that there were other people out there dealing with the same issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Death, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Racism and Eating disorder
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Blood, Body shaming, and Misogyny
seullywillikers's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Initial thoughts: raw, intelligent, funny, heartbreaking, hopeful, beautiful.
Updated review: EVERYONE should read this book, but most especially, if you have anything to do with higher education AT ALL, whether as student, teacher, administrator, or volunteer, you must read this book. Obviously, as a white woman, I did not identify with all of Sahara's identities; I did identify with some of her story, though. This has got to have the most real portrayal of depression and suicidal ideation in a fiction that I have ever read. Throughout, Sahara's humor, sadness, and rage burn brightly, so that you are in the midst of it, and feeling it too. The POV of a Black woman in a PWI is poignant and important-you can logically 'know' a thing, but to see it through this window is another thing entirely. Certainly, I'll never understand on a fundamental level, but having the books and other media that represent these true stories (fiction as truth-teller) is so important for everyone in today's America.
The framework of a satirical Master's thesis is brilliantly conceived and executed in this book, and is well used to highlight the insufficient, ineffective, and hypocritical policies and facades of towering institutions that don't actually do the work to raise up anyone except their donors and benefactors. This book touched not only on systemic racism, but also everyday microaggressions, inequitable health-care and the dismissal of Black people's pain, trying to figure out your life as an LGBTQIA+ person, depression and self-harm, dysfunctional families (even if there is love there), and just trying to figure out yourself in college. That is SO much to cover, but this book doesn't feel bogged down, sloggy, or hindered in achieving to carry all of that.
Also, Sahara has awesome taste in music. 5 stars.
Updated review: EVERYONE should read this book, but most especially, if you have anything to do with higher education AT ALL, whether as student, teacher, administrator, or volunteer, you must read this book. Obviously, as a white woman, I did not identify with all of Sahara's identities; I did identify with some of her story, though. This has got to have the most real portrayal of depression and suicidal ideation in a fiction that I have ever read. Throughout, Sahara's humor, sadness, and rage burn brightly, so that you are in the midst of it, and feeling it too. The POV of a Black woman in a PWI is poignant and important-you can logically 'know' a thing, but to see it through this window is another thing entirely. Certainly, I'll never understand on a fundamental level, but having the books and other media that represent these true stories (fiction as truth-teller) is so important for everyone in today's America.
The framework of a satirical Master's thesis is brilliantly conceived and executed in this book, and is well used to highlight the insufficient, ineffective, and hypocritical policies and facades of towering institutions that don't actually do the work to raise up anyone except their donors and benefactors. This book touched not only on systemic racism, but also everyday microaggressions, inequitable health-care and the dismissal of Black people's pain, trying to figure out your life as an LGBTQIA+ person, depression and self-harm, dysfunctional families (even if there is love there), and just trying to figure out yourself in college. That is SO much to cover, but this book doesn't feel bogged down, sloggy, or hindered in achieving to carry all of that.
Also, Sahara has awesome taste in music. 5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Classism, Fatphobia, and Misogyny
Minor: Blood
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